Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Blows Tomb Raider Out of Atlantis

Clair Obscur : Expedition 33 is a 2025 role-playing video game developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. Set in a dark fantasy Belle Époque setting, the game follows the volunteers of Expedition 33 as they set out to destroy the Paintress, a being causing the yearly Gommage, which erases those at or above an ever-decreasing age. In the game, the player controls a party of characters from a third-person perspective, exploring areas and engaging in combat. Its turn-based mechanics feature real-time aspects such as quick time events and timed actions in combat. The project originated in 2019 with Guillaume Broche, a Ubisoft employee, who left the following year during the COVID-19 pandemic to form Sandfall with friends and contacts, steadily establishing a core team of 30 developers that came to be supported by various production partners. Inspired by Japanese RPGs that shaped their youth such as the Final Fantasy and Persona series, the developers at Sandfall sought to create a high-fidelity turn-based role-playing game, which they felt was neglected by AAA studios. Development began with Unreal Engine 4 and later switched to Unreal Engine 5, providing rendering improvements. In January 2025, Story Kitchen announced a live-action adaptation of the game in collaboration with Sandfall. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was released for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S on 24 April 2025, and was available day one on Xbox Game Pass. The game received universal acclaim from critics for its narrative, art direction, game direction, original soundtrack, gameplay, and voice acting. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was nominated for and won several awards. It became the most awarded title in The Game Awards history, winning nine of the record thirteen nominations it received at The Game Awards 2025 including the show's Game of the Year. Additionally, it won Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, and appeared on several publications' lists of best games of 2025. By December 2025, it had sold over 6 million units.[ The Game Awards 2025 gave us not one but two Lara Croft adventures to mark on our calendars, starting with Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. Described as a “reimagining” rather than a simple remake, this updated version of the 1996 original adventure is said to have several surprises in store for fans. How fitting that we return to the very beginning in the Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis game, albeit with a few extra details thrown in, to prepare for the launch of Tomb Raider: Catalyst. There’s a lot to unpack, and The Escapist is eager to get started, so it’s high time we plaited our hair, readied our pistols, and dived below the surface of this exciting remake. Lara Croft being featured at The Game Awards 2025 had only been teased days before the show, but fans were unsure of what to expect. Then, at The Game Awards 2025, Tomb Raider: Catalyst was announced alongside Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. Unlike Tomb Raider: Catalyst, the Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis game returns to the very first Lara Croft adventure. A remastered collection of the first three Tomb Raider titles was released in 2024; however, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis goes beyond to deliver a modernized reimagining that promises to add “new surprises”. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis’ release date is 2026 and will mark the 30th anniversary of the first game.